Chapter 47 Heavenly Demon Divine Art
In the setting of Murim Return, martial arts were generally composed of internal arts that built up inner energy and forms that manifested it.
Among them, the internal arts were far more emphasized. The essence of a martial art—what a warrior had written down as a mantra from their enlightenment—was the internal art, so the core of any martial art hinged on it.
In that sense.
“……”
It was only natural that Do Il Gwang stared at me in shock.
This body had cultivated the first half of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, corresponding to the internal art.
What Do Il Gwang had cultivated was the second half, corresponding to the forms.
He had no choice but to recognize it.
Like all previous Heavenly Demons, Do Il Gwang must have exhausted every effort to complete his half of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. But it would have been in vain.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was the martial art that dominated all demonic arts in existence.
No other martial art's internal component could fill the missing half. That's why he couldn't even properly utilize a fraction of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's forms.
So, of course, he would recognize it upon seeing that missing half.
“Th-the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?!”
Baek Ryong's horrified voice came from where he stood behind.
“M-my lord! Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as I said… This man has cultivated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
“Th-that's impossible!”
It was the moment of choice.
No one until now knew that the internal art I'd cultivated was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Sa Wol and Tak Horak were recovering from their injuries in meditative rest, so no worries there.
But Baek Ryong was different. He was a witness.
Even if it was just the internal art, if word got out that I'd cultivated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—and if he somehow escaped this cave…
I'm dead. Absolutely.
The name Heavenly Demon carried that much weight.
It was a title bestowed solely upon the pinnacle of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Demon Divine Cult faithful. The chances of someone like me—who would sully it—surviving were zero. Clan extermination would be a bonus.
So, to survive, I had to kill Baek Ryong.
Don't hesitate, Kim Dong Yun.
I had come here precisely to take the life of a prisoner, after all.
If asked whether killing people from the text stirred guilt in me, yes, it did. Even if they were characters I'd only known from a novel, what I saw, heard, and felt here was a vividly real world.
But bringing up guilt now would be contradictory, self-deceptive, and arrogant.
If I hadn't been here, the bonfire prisoner might still be alive. My presence was what killed him.
I couldn't survive in this Murim Return world without killing someone.
So nothing would change now.
Besides.
Whoosh!
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy blazed fiercely from my eyes, burning away even that lingering shred of guilt.
It was as if it were telling me not to hold back, not to doubt my path.
Pa Cheon.
[…….]
Pa Cheon didn't respond. Normally, the sword would chatter excitedly about recharging its energy, but it stayed silent.
It must be confused. For now.
I spoke gravely.
Kill Baek Ryong and absorb him.
Pa Cheon's blade flashed.
Super Peak.
The realm of true transcendence, where one's will alone could warp the laws of the world. It was said that only immortals existed beyond it—the final realm a human could realistically attain.
Do Il Gwang was a man standing at the very edge of that Super Peak.
Someone at that level wouldn't be rattled by just anything. A violent temper was different from being surprised.
But right now, he couldn't help but be shocked.
A Flying Sword with no prelude whatsoever.
At Super Peak, one didn't just sense the flow of energy—they mastered it completely. Yet Do Il Gwang had felt nothing.
And yet the sword had drawn itself so naturally, piercing the frozen Baek Ryong's heart.
Flawless, stealthy manipulation of pure energy.
That alone could be dismissed as a trait of the martial art. But Do Il Gwang had clearly seen the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in my eyes.
Was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art stealthy?
Absurd.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was the king of ten thousand demons.
It had no need for stealth or caution.
They called it an untamable blaze.
So the conclusion was clear.
He's cultivated the full Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Not half of it. That's why he controls it perfectly.
And it didn't end there.
“Gaaahhh!”
Baek Ryong screamed in agony. Black veins bulged across his body, pulsing wildly, centered on the sword embedded in his heart. It felt like a parched man gulping water.
Soon, Baek Ryong's body mummified like dried wood. It happened in the blink of an eye.
“……Star Absorption Great Law?”
The Heavenly Demon's forbidden art from a century ago—the taboo of all warriors—was manifesting before him.
Do Il Gwang's voice grated like rusted iron.
“You… Are you truly the heir to the genuine legacy of the Heavenly Demon?”
“……”
What nonsense is that? I thought, then realized.
He's mistaking Pa Cheon for it.
Pa Cheon was a demonic sword that devoured energy. Unless you were steeped in ancient murim history, it was hard to recognize.
Do Il Gwang, who cared nothing for history, must have mistaken its function for the Star Absorption Great Law. That was exactly why I'd avoided using Pa Cheon's absorption ability out in the jianghu.
……
My intent was simply: I too have cultivated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, so despite your seals, don't get cocky—stay put. But he'd jumped to this misunderstanding.
From experience, there was only one thing to do in a situation like this.
Act unfazed.
Cross my arms and gaze at him with cool indifference.
“The Star Absorption Great Law was the fourth Heavenly Demon's forbidden art… A ingenious technique that sucked in every shred of an opponent's energy, making it your own. But it's said the fourth left no successor.”
It worked, as expected. Do Il Gwang spilled unasked details in a ramble.
“Then what the hell are you?”
Now it was all to my advantage. Such misconceptions were more than welcome.
I replied nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
“Exactly what you see.”
“Heavenly Demons after the fourth were only half. They held the title, but not the substance… Just exceptional in their personal martial prowess. Even that detestable wench was the same. But you're different. The Star Absorption Great Law. You've inherited the true will of the Heavenly Demon.”
Do Il Gwang glanced at the fully desiccated Baek Ryong, then back at me.
“So your real goal must be to absorb my energy. I've walked right into my own trap…”
I didn't respond, just stared. Do Il Gwang suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Excellent! Heir to the true Heavenly Demon! Take my energy! Become the real Heavenly Demon!”
Do Il Gwang, ever the poser.
“Don't talk nonsense.”
“……What?”
“You think I'm after your pathetic scrap of energy?”
There'd been a nagging noise since earlier, emanating from the altar.
The instincts of a veteran Murim Return reader told me: that was the formation suppressing the entire Punishment Cave.
Obviously, Do Il Gwang was the core powering it. The chains piercing his body and the haze from the formation seeped into the altar.
In other words, he was a human auxiliary battery.
His total inner energy reserves might be vast, but his current capacity was likely negligible.
And above all, Pa Cheon hasn't responded since Baek Ryong.
It was defying my orders.
It must have been shocked. It had believed its lifelong cultivation was the Asura Demon Emperor Divine Art. A warrior's martial art was their everything, their foundation—having that denied was devastating.
We'll need time to talk it out.
Either way, I hadn't come this far to absorb Do Il Gwang's energy. Though if I could, great.
Do Il Gwang scowled at my words.
“You bastard… It's been over twenty years since I last heard that. Well, someone like you surely qualifies. Then what is it you really want—?”
Mid-sentence, Do Il Gwang smirked.
“I see. You.”
His next words were ridiculous.
“You've come searching for the Heavenly Demon's weakness.”
“……”
“A man of your caliber couldn't lack ambition. Born into the Divine Cult, you'd want to topple the heavens themselves.”
The Heavenly Demon's throne was one constantly challenged. Even through cowardly means—it didn't matter. That was the responsibility of bearing the name, and why it had endured for centuries.
Do Il Gwang chuckled slyly.
“Ask away! I'll tell you the Heavenly Demon's weakness! In my stead, that wench—”
“I don't need that.”
“……What?”
“I said I don't need it. As if a worm like you could grasp the lord's weakness.”
The Heavenly Demon was a monster.
In Murim Return's early parts, Super Peak was depicted as the human limit. Later, with power inflation, everyone and their dog hit it, leading to higher realms.
But the current Heavenly Demon was the first human to step into the next realm.
Internal injuries?
Not from fighting Do Il Gwang. Self-inflicted during training.
…Thinking about it, that makes no sense. Yeah, better not cross paths with the Heavenly Demon.
Even sealed, Do Il Gwang exuded this pressure—what the hell was the current Heavenly Demon?
If this weren't a murim world but pure fantasy, I'd nod along if someone said she was a dragon in human form.
Just as Do Il Gwang had seen through my state at a glance, the Heavenly Demon would recognize mine instantly.
“You bastard! Then why the hell did you come here?!”
“I want something.”
Do Il Gwang wore an "I knew it" expression.
“Heh heh heh… What is it?”
“Your personal martial art.”
“What?”
“Those who reach Super Peak infuse their martial arts with their unique intent. I need the mantra of yours.”
The singular conviction a warrior honed over a lifetime of cultivation—that was intent.
Splitting seas with a sword swing or leaping cliffs in a step—all thanks to intent. Its manifestation was Gang Qi.
In essence, the mantra of intent was equivalent to the entirety of a warrior's achievements.
That intent was why Do Il Gwang had survived his rebellion unscathed and why I'd felt crushing pressure entering this cavern. His intent had overwhelming dominance over the weak.
“Think you can comprehend it? Even if I told you, a speck like you wouldn't grasp a thing.”
“Do Il Gwang. You think I don't know your intent?”
“Then you claim to know it well?”
“You mercilessly crush the weak and seize what you want by smashing it.”
Still glaring intently, I continued.
“That's the intent of you—a fallen Heavenly Demon.”
Do Il Gwang's eyes trembled violently at my words.
“Domination.”